Gov. McDonnell will be discussing his plans to solve the transportation
crisis by selling ABC stores and drilling for oil off the Virginia shore
at a Fairfax town hall meeting on August 25. The location he chose for
the meeting is probably one of the most inaccessible locations in the
county unless you happen to drive...

Kate Ryan observes the aftermath of a bike-ped crash on the Capital Crescent Trail "Initial eyewitness accounts indicate that the runner and cyclist were
originally headed in the same direction, with the cyclist behind the
runner, when the runner suddenly stopped and did a U-turn. According to
one witness, she did this just as the cyclist was swinging wide to pass
her, and the two collided--hard. The witness I spoke to could not recall
hearing the cyclist call out to the pedestrian that he planned to pass
her."

The extension of HOT lanes to McLean would carry benefits for cyclists "The extension project also would replace the bridges at Old Dominion
Drive, Georgetown Pike and Live Oak Drive, and provide new bicycle and
pedestrian areas on those bridges, officials said."

London's bike sharing system starts. 4700 biks at 400 stations for $70 a year. No tourists for the first month.

Retired Admiral, one-time candidate for Senate, executive director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs and the son of former Gov. LeRoy Collins, LeRoy Collins Jr. was killed while biking in Florida (which I believe is the most dangerous state for cycling). Driver, of course, didn't see him. "Collins... was hit while riding in
a crosswalk near downtown Tampa at about 6 a.m., police said. The
27-year-old driver was making a left turn and apparently didn't see
Collins." It has been ruled an accident, and no charges will be filed. He was wearing a helmet for those who care.

Montgomery County public school officials have told parents that their
children no longer will receive bus service because a new bike path
leading to the school provides an adequate walking route.

Because of the completion of a bike path along Travilah Road, the school
system is suspending bus service to students who live within a mile of
the school, leaving parents to wonder why the bus cannot make a last
stop for the safety of their children.

Residents who live along Natia Manor Drive, which creates a horse
shoe-shaped loop off Travilah Road, say the path is too far and too
dangerous for children to walk alone. They cite the 2004 hit-and-run
death of Solomon King,
a Thomas S. Wootton High School junior, who was struck at Travilah Road
and Noland Drive, about one mile east of the neighborhood and roughly
two miles from the school. No other fatal pedestrian collisions have
occurred along that stretch of Travilah Road, said Capt. Paul Starks, a
Montgomery police spokesman, but five vehicle collisions have occurred
there from 2004 to 2008.

The 8-foot-wide, shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists was
completed in June of last year, said Bruce Johnston, a division chief
with the county Department of Transportation. The path, which runs
between Darnestown and Dufief Mill roads, cost $11 million and was built
in response to complaints that Travilah Road was narrow and had no
shoulder, he said.

Residents said they are concerned that the path is on the same level as
the busy street, with no barrier for children who might wander or
vehicles that might swerve. Lewis said he has seen motorists drive on
the path.

The school will add patrols to monitor children as they walk to school

While a mile seems like a long walk for a five year old (am I wrong parents?) I doubt this is unsafe, and I think it's a good idea.

The first Capital Bikeshare bikes will take their first tour of DC tomorrow (Friday). Spot one, snap a photo, post it here or tweet to @DDOTDC. We'll pick our favorite photo and and you could win a limited edition hat!

It looks like, from this photo, that bike lanes have been added to 14th St NW in front of DC USA. Anyone know how far these go? They don't appear to connect with the lanes to the north. What about to the south?

Nick Keenan writes Dr. Gridlock to set him straight on trail crossings.

I want to correct something that came up in your [July 19 online]
chat. A reader complained about cyclists crossing a trail and not
yielding. I know it's just a chat, but you owe it to your readers to
keep them well informed.

In the three local jurisdictions, a trail crossing is a crosswalk. In
all three, motorists must yield or stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

In the District and Virginia explicitly, and implicitly in Maryland,
cyclists using a crosswalk have the rights and duties of pedestrians.
Motorists are required to stop or yield to cyclists in crosswalks. The
law is unambiguous about this.

The only duty that pedestrians and cyclists have at a crosswalk is not
to enter the road so suddenly that motorists are unable to yield. This
might not be popular, and people might not agree that this is the way
the law should be, but it is the law.

Stop signs at trail crossings are problematic, because, as your reader
shows, they erroneously give motorists the impression they have right of
way when they do not.

Dr. Gridlock replies:

The goal of all these laws is to keep people from crashing into each
other, no matter how they are traveling. A driver approaching a
crosswalk has an obligation -- moral, as well as legal -- to yield or
stop for a person in a crosswalk. That is indeed unambiguous. As Keenan
pointed out, the person planning to use the crosswalk also has an
obligation not to step into the crosswalk if an approaching driver
doesn't have sufficient stopping distance.

As the online commenter pointed out, many trail crossings differ from
the typical crosswalk in that they have a red stop sign for trail users.
Those signs also are unambiguous. They do not mean, "Calculate whether
you can make it across the road before you get hit and then decide
whether you actually have to stop."

For a while it's felt like Prince George's County was disinterested in following the other jurisdictions in making the area more bikeable. But lately, they've really been making up for lost time. They built a section of the Prince George's Connector. They started work on a connector between the Anacostia Tributary Trail System (ATTS) and DC future Anacostia Riverwalk Trail that will also connect to Cheverly. And now they've just awarded a contract to study a connection between the WB&A Trail and the ATTS.

The contract to study a possible trail linking the WB&A and Anacostia trails has been awarded to Wallace, Montgomery & Associates of Towson, Maryland, according to Fred Shaffer of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The winning bid was for $64,000. The study funding was authorized by legislation introduced by Councilman Eric Olson and will evaluate four possible routes, develop a first-order cost estimate for each, and design 30% of the trail. (Design of 30% is necessary for most federal funding, in addition to the local match.)

At a recent kickoff meeting for the task order, representatives from Councilman Olson's staff emphasized that Mr. Olson hopes to see the WB&A connected to the Anacostia system around Bladensburg. However, the study may focus on connecting the WB&A to Cheverly. At the instigation of state Senator Ivy, plans are already underway for a trail to connect Cheverly to Bladensburg, Shaffer said.

Local trail advocated and MNCPPC staff have been pondering a western extension of the WB&A Trail since it opened in 2001. At the kickoff meeting, Shaffer provided some of that background to the contractor. A key question is how and where to cross the Capital Beltway.

One option is to use a combination of Lanham-Forest Park and neighborhood streets in Lanham, plus a new pedestrian bridge near the existing flyover ramp that connects US-50 to the New Carrollton Metro Station. Other options include following MD-450 and MD-704. From New Carrollton to Cheverly, the route is likely to parallel US-50 using neighborhood roads such as Parkwood Street, with short trail connectors and bridges.Public input will be sought some time this fall, with the final report completed Spring 2011.

If you would like to stay informed about developments with this study you can send an email to WBA_Trail-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join the WB&A Trail list-serve.